Frequent contributor Jon Marthaler has written about virtually every sport in the Twin Cities, and fills in on Saturdays for the RandBall blog on StarTribune.com. He'll cover the professional soccer scene in the Twin Cities, whether at the Metrodome or at the National Sports Center.

NASL exploring additional discipline following postgame fracas

The NASL disciplinary committee will meet this week to decide on possible supplemental discipline for several players, stemming from altercations following Minnesota's 3-2 win over San Antonio on Saturday.

San Antonio midfielder Kevin Harmse was involved in a pair of postgame altercations, one with Minnesota striker Pablo Campos and one with United athletic trainer Tom Smith. San Antonio's Esteban Bayona was also involved in the first altercation.

You can see the first incident on the match video, starting around the 2:20 mark as the game ends. As the referee signals the end of the match, Campos walks towards Harmse, who fakes a handshake and instead windmills his fist into Campos's groin. Campos retaliates by striking out at Harmse's upper body, making contact with his neck. Harmse falls to the ground, clutching his face, a reaction that causes Bayona to rush over and punch Campos in the face, then shove him.

A source has confirmed that Harmse also punched Smith on his way to the tunnel. The athletic trainer posted a picture on social media, since deleted, showing himself with a swollen lip and face.

Said league commissioner Bill Peterson, via text, "We won't comment on any potential discipline... We have an internal process, and when we complete that, we'll inform the clubs."

Minnesota and San Antonio are developing a bit of history in this regard. Campos, who was with San Antonio last year, was suspended for the first two games of this season after headbutting former Minnesota captain Kyle Altman during last season's playoffs.